Fundraisers for Marine’s family recall his generosity

About 25 college classmates, friends and other supporters of Sgt. Manuel Loggins gathered at the Elks Lodge in San Clemente on Saturday evening for a dinner and raffle to raise education money for the children of the Marine the fundraisers remember as generous, respectful and, most of all, a good friend.

Loggins was shot to death in his SUV during an encounter with an Orange County sheriff's deputy early Feb. 7 at San Clemente High School, where he is said to have gone frequently for family prayer walks.

Loggins' two daughters, ages 9 and 14, also were in the vehicle when their father was shot. Full details of the case have not been made public as the Sheriff's Department and the Orange County District Attorney's Office investigate, though sheriff's officials have said Loggins was behaving erratically and that the deputy feared for the girls' lives.

Retired Marine Sgt. Maj. Andre Johnson made the trip to San Clemente from his home in Stockton to honor Loggins, whom he called a "Marine's Marine."

"Loggins was a gentle giant," Johnson said. "My heart goes out to everyone who knew him and to his family."

Loggins' classmates from Stanbridge College in Irvine, where he was scheduled to graduate in June with a license in vocational nursing, wore black T-shirts listing a dozen traits they would remember about him – among them "compassion," "courageous," "honorable," "strong," "loving" and "humble." The list ended with the word "missed."

Stanbridge student Esperanza Solis, a single mother, said she lost her job around Christmas and was struggling to make it through the holidays when Loggins handed over two bags of toys for her young son. She called the gesture typical of Loggins.

Emilee Young, an instructor of infectious diseases at Stanbridge, said Loggins often greeted her with a hug in the hallway before class, gently lifting her off the ground. "I loved him to pieces." Young said.

Roel Dalida of Rowland Heights said she met Loggins 2 1/2 years ago at Stanbridge College, where their vocational nursing class met an average of four times a week. She said Loggins had hoped to become a physician and recently had been accepted at UC Irvine to study for a bachelor of science degree in nursing.

"He's a friend," Dalida said. "He was a man of few words, but he was there for you."

Navy veteran Noel Cruz of Lake Forest, who worked at the Victoria Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center in Costa Mesa, where many vocational nursing students do practice fieldwork, met Loggins about a year ago and remembers talking with him about civilian life and making the transition from the military.

“He was a good man and making plans for his family,” Cruz said.

Desiree Lomac of San Clemente remembers how Loggins sometimes would arrive late to class "commando-style, like a Marine, on the ground to get to his seat."

"He was big and always one of the funny guys in class," Lomac said.

Lomac, organizer of the Elks Lodge event, said she couldn't yet state the amount raised for Loggins' family Saturday.

Wayne Eggleston, executive director of The Heritage of San Clemente Foundation, which started efforts to raise money for the family soon after the shooting, said about $10,000 has been raised so far through the foundation.

On March 4, Loggins' widow, Phoebe, gave birth to a girl named Hope. She is the couple's fourth child.